I didn’t have a scrap of eloquence inside me, only exhaustion.
“It was a long night,” Lucien said quietly, a stony press to his lips. “I’m sure you heard many a tale, most of them sad.”
She nodded slowly, seeming to absorb his words one by one.
“Indeed, many of the reports were sad, as you say. Homes and businesses burned. Children terrified, nearly trampled. One young boy is still lost. Did you know that? His mother is beside herself.”
I gasped, pressing my fingertips to my lips to silence my fear. They must be so scared.
Reed stepped forward, brows furrowed. “Our wolves’ greater sense of smell should be able to find him quickly. If the parents have an article of clothing, we can shift and help you find him.”
The elder inclined her head in his direction, thoughtful. After a long moment, she gestured to Batten. “Take him to the mother. Let them find the boy now, before he wanders into human territory and greater trouble.”
Reed and Samuel both split off to follow Batten, jogging away into the woods without a backward glance.
It was Kane’s turn to awkwardly clear his throat. “I know it doesn’t put things back to rights, elder, but Pack Blackwater has the means to help repair what was damaged. I will see to it that all damage to your clan is repaid to the best of our ability.”
“And the lives lost?” She arched one thin, white eyebrow accusingly.
It was amazing that a two-and-a-half-foot-tall goblin grandma could make the high alpha-whose power could flatten a field of attackers-look like a chastised schoolboy. But look abashed, he did.
“Elder, there is no right answer here. Money cannot replace the lives stolen by this brutal attack. I won’t diminish their bravery or sacrifice by pretending it will. However, I will compensate each family for the loved one lost, so that no one they left behind struggles to survive. It’s only right.”
The elder nodded again, and my anxiety grew.
This was it, the part where she kicked us out and spat after us, like we were rodents she couldn’t wait to be rid of. My eyes fell closed, and I leaned into Lucien’s shoulder, bracing for the blow.
“Well, then. There’s something I need to give you before you take your leave.”
My eyes snapped back open, confusion filling me.
She pulled a thin sheet of parchment from her pocket, which appeared to be hundreds of years old.
Kane stepped forward, accepting the paper without question. He carefully unrolled it, then looked back up at the elder in shock. “The map to the omega stone fragment?”
For the first time since we’d met her, the old crone laughed. “You should see your face, boy. The whole lot of you look like a feather could take out the entire pack.” She slapped her knee, then grew more serious. “What I said was true. I did hear many sad tales of the evening’s events. But that wasn’t all I heard.”
She waved a hand forward, and a large group of goblins stepped into sight, from where I hadn’t even sensed them hiding out in the woods.
I must really be exhausted to not have noticed that many magical beings so close by. I thought ruefully.
“Ever since the battle ended, my people have been showing up on my doorstep, bending my ear with countless tales of your pack’s tireless determination to protect our clan from the ODL scum who care not for innocent life.”
With that, she shook her head, disgust plain on her wizened features.
“You are not your ancestors. You are better. Don’t forget it, and don’t let the power make you forget what truly matters.”
With that, she shoved slowly to her feet, waving one of her people forward. Two of them raced ahead, taking hold of her arms and supporting her as she walked the short distance to her steps.
To my surprise, though, a third goblin, who I recognized, ran forward.
“Rivetsky?” I asked, ninety percent sure it was him beneath the layer of grime hiding his neon hair.
“It is I! Grand Inventor Rivetsky!” He bowed with a flourish. “I am here to remind you of your promise to visit our gardens.”
“Oh. Right.” Exhaustion weighed heavy on every limb, but a promise was a promise, and I truly wanted to help these quirky, intelligent beings.
“Do not fret. First, I will lead you to our guest quarters, where you may wash and rest. Mighty heroes deserve mighty rewards, after all. Besides, I have had many ideas about great battle machines that may aid in our defense in the future, and I wish to discuss this with your pack mates while you tour the gardens. While we think it is unlikely there will be another world breaking like the omega wars, a prepared goblin is a wealthy goblin.”
With a twinkle in his eye and his chest puffed to the max, Rivetsky led us out of the woods and back to the safe caves.
Lucien
It took us many long days to repair as much of the damage to the city of Wrenchet, and for Olivia to pour her still-recovering powers safely into their gardens. The full moon came and went as we all worked like dogs, other than a brief trip to renew our safe house wards, and we fell into our borrowed beds exhausted each night.
Brielle, Leigh, and Fiona all helped man the infirmaries, healing as many goblins as possible while the rest of us worked at our various tasks.
It was still unnerving to see Shay use visible bolts of white light to lift things ten times her body size, but she got shit done quickly, and we all appreciated that.
But finally, finally, it was time to leave.
A massive crowd of goblins teemed before us, excited and sad to send us off. Reed made a pretty speech about how much we appreciated their hospitality, and I wouldn’t lie and say my mind didn’t wander.
I was already on to the next steps, and where the fuck to find the last piece. Presuming Shay and Dirge had returned successful, a fact no one had brought up while we were repairing Wrenchet.
When Batten sidled up next to me, I didn’t think anything of it. She had hovered around us like an accusing fly for our entire stay, as if at any moment we might turn on them, now that the crone had given us what we came for.
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